


Missed Opportunity

by tinyarmedtrex



Series: BLM Commissions <3 [4]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, POV switch, it takes reddie 4 yrs to figure out their shit, the toziers are good parents, which for them is pretty good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyarmedtrex/pseuds/tinyarmedtrex
Summary: Richie and Eddie meet the first day of college and there's an instant attraction. Too bad they never seem to be single at the same time.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: BLM Commissions <3 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810261
Comments: 16
Kudos: 143





	Missed Opportunity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starsalign](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsalign/gifts).



**Richie- Fall Semester, Freshman Year**

“My boy’s first day of college! I never thought this day would come!” Went said, pulling Richie into a tight hug. “No really son, I thought we’d be stuck with you for the rest of our lives. I can’t wait to have my office back.” 

“ _ Dad _ .”

Maggie was crying too hard to say anything but Richie was fairly certain he heard something about how proud they were as she wrapped her arms around him too, putting Richie squarely in the middle of a Tozier parent burrito. 

“Okay! Okay!” He said, pushing them off and glancing around. “I love you both, too. Now please leave before someone cool sees that I actually like my parents.” 

Maggie let out a choked laugh, pulling Richie back into another hug. 

“The curse of the only child!” He wailed, making all of them laugh. As much as he would deny it any other time, he was going to miss them. Richie was close with his parents and they’d always been his rock. For the first time in his life, he would be several hours away from them. He was trying not to think about it. 

“The boy is going to miss orientation.” Went finally said, pulling Maggie off Richie and onto him. “Lord knows he needs all the help he can get.”

“Love you, too.” Richie mumbled. Went reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately. 

“We’ll go, before we even meet your roommate. That’s how good of parents we are.” Maggie said with a sniffle. Richie was sure if not for his dad holding her hand she would have reached out for another hug. 

Went pulled out his wallet and handed Richie a crisp fifty dollar bill. “Don’t spend it all on alcohol.” Went said, smiling at his son. “Or at least don’t tell us if you do.”

Richie gave his parents one final hug then watched them leave, debating if he should wait for his roommate, a mysterious man named Stan Uris. Richie had tried looking him up on Instagram and Snapchat but hadn’t found anything. The guy was like a social media ghost. 

As he was about to leave, Richie heard a wail from across the hall. He couldn’t resist popping his head in to see how exactly a beached whale had gotten into the dorms. What he found was a large woman smothering a much smaller boy, clinging to him as the boy tried to push her back.

“Ma! I’m fine!” The boy squeaked. 

“Eddie bear! We left your back up inhaler on the counter! We need to go get it!”

“Mail it!” 

“What about your diet? You know how sensitive your tummy is! I can’t stand the thought of you eating that awful school food.”

“I’ll be fine.” The boy said, finally managing to squeeze free. As he did, Richie finally got a view of the boy. Big brown eyes framed by blond curls. Short but clearly feisty. He was wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts that made him look like he was about twelve years old but he was still cute. Richie decided there and then that he liked college. 

“Eddie!” The woman wailed, moving in again.

He decided to be a good floormate and save the boy. No one deserved this treatment. Richie rapped on the door and instantly had two sets of eyes on him. The woman’s narrowed suspiciously and the boy’s widened with embarrassment. 

“Hey, I’m heading to orientation, thought I’d see if you wanted to walk with me?” 

The woman frowned, grabbing her son’s arm and whispering to him. “Eddiekins, no! He looks dirty! This is why I wanted you close to home! So boys like this weren’t next door!”

“Ma! Stop it!” The boy pulled free again, rubbing his arm.

“That would be great,” He said, to Richie, clearly grateful. Then he turned to his mom again. “I’ll call you tonight.”

The woman pinched her lips. “And tomorrow morning.” 

“Yes! Fine! Please go now!” The boy said, practically shoving her towards the door. Richie stepped aside to let her out and she shot him an angry glare as she left. 

“Charming woman.” Richie said, turning his attention back to the cute boy.

“You have no idea.” The boy said, shaking his head and exhaling loudly. Even when he was exasperated, he was cute. 

“I’m Richie, by the way.” Richie said, watching as the boy snapped on a fanny pack and opened it, seeming to check that he had everything he needed. 

“Eddie.”

“Not Eddie bear or Eddiekins?” Richie teased.

“Fuck you.” Eddie said, the bite in his voice much different than his preppy outfit. 

“I’m not actually dirty.” Richie felt the need to say. He didn’t want the first person he met at college to be scared off. “Don’t let the chipped nail polish fool you.”

Eddie smiled at him. “I didn’t think you were. Come on, I want a good seat.” 

They walked, making small talk the whole way. By the time they made it to the auditorium, Richie was starting to have feelings for the shorter boy. And if how Eddie blushed when Richie complimented him was any indication Eddie felt the same. 

“Wanna sit together?” Richie asked, already debating if he could pull off the patented ‘yawn and arm over the shoulder’ technique. 

“Sure, I need to find my girlfriend first though.”

Richie’s world skidded to a halt. “Girlfriend?” He sputtered.

Edide nodded, peering around the space. “She goes here too. She’s in the girl’s dorm though. She didn’t want to see boys in her hallways.” 

Before Richie could fully process that, a girl bounded up to them, cupping Eddie’s face with her hands. “Eddie baby, you’re flush! Are you okay? Did you put on the sunscreen your mom packed?” Richie was instantly concerned about how much this girl reminded him of Eddie’s mom. 

“Myra, I’m fine.” Eddie said, stepping back and shaking her grip. “I was only outside for ten minutes.” 

She continued to fret and Richie had a realization that not only was Eddie straight, he was a very specific type of straight. The type that wanted to marry his mother and never think for himself. 

Richie resolved to squash any feelings there and then. Even if Eddie didn’t seem happy with Myra, he wasn’t a homewrecker. The group took their seats and Richie tried to pay attention to all the clubs on campus and not on how Eddie’s thigh felt against his. 

\---------

Four weeks later, Richie was laying on his bed, trying to get the reading done for English Lit, when there was a loud knock on his door. 

“Come in!” He called, already assuming it was Eddie. He was the only person who knocked like that, like he was trying to make up for his small stature with a loud knock. 

When Eddie entered, Richie realized something was wrong. The normally animated boy was quiet, withdrawn. 

“Eds? What’s wrong?” Richie asked, sitting up to make space for the other boy. The two had grown closer during the first month, they shared two classes and often studied together. All that did nothing for Richie’s stupid crush. He tried to hide it but it was hard. He found himself looking for reasons to touch Eddie, to throw an arm around him or pinch his cheek. Eddie never seemed to mind either, he’d swat Richie and complain but he never moved away. 

“I- I don’t want to say.” Eddie replied, staring down at his hands and not looking up at Richie.

“What happened?” Richie put a hand on Eddie’s knee, trying to comfort him. Eddie stiffened at the touch and Richie quickly pulled back. Then he noticed the tears welling up in Eddie’s eyes. 

“Eds, did Myra- did she-” Richie didn’t know how to end the sentence. Hurt him? Break up with him? It was true Richie didn’t understand their relationship but he figured she must make Eddie happy enough. 

“It’s not her. It’s me.” Eddie’s voice was thick but clear. He raised his head to look at Richie and it took everything in Richie not to wipe off the tears with his thumb. “I’m gay, Richie. I like boys.”

“That’s great!” The words tumbled out and Richie winced, realizing that wasn’t exactly the right thing to say. “I mean, Eds, that’s okay. That’s good, you should be happy!”  _ With me,  _ Richie added silently, trying not to get ahead of himself. Just because Eddie liked boys didn’t mean everything else had actually been flirting. It didn’t mean Eddie felt the same. But still- 

“You don’t think I’m broken?” Eddie asked, brining Richie back to the situation at hand and not his own crisis.

“Eds! No!” Now Richie did move in, cupping Eddie’s face gently. “You’re perfect.” He stopped himself from adding more.

“Myra didn’t think so.” 

“Myra can sit on a damn tack. She never deserved you. Eds, there’s nothing wrong with you. I like girls and boys, so does Stan. You don’t think we’re broken, do you?” Richie had been relieved to get a roommate like Stan. The two were opposites but they’d become fast friends and Richie already wondered how he’d lived so long without the guy. 

“Only your fashion sense.” Eddie mumbled. 

Richie barked out a laugh, nudging Eddie with his shoulder. “Eds gets off a good one!” He took Eddie’s hand, trying to be serious. “I promise Eds, nothing is wrong with you. You’re amazing. And if Myra or anyone else doesn’t see it, that’s their problem.” 

Eddie’s eyes met his and he opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it. Instead he said, “Can I hang out with you for a bit?”

“Of course Spaghetti, let me teach you the ways of gay.” Richie said, throwing an arm around him. The other boy rolled his eyes but leaned against Richie, listening to him rant about Pride and the best places to buy rainbow accessories. Then and there, Richie promised himself to ask Eddie out once he recovered, once he was ready. 

**Eddie- Spring Semester, Freshman Year**

Eddie stared at Richie’s door, telling himself to just knock on the damn thing. He knew Richie was home. He’d memorized Richie’s schedule, not exactly on purpose but he had to admit it was useful. 

Or maybe stalkery. Eddie knew his roommate Bill would point out that just friends probably didn’t know where the other person was every minute of the day. Heck, Eddie didn’t even know Bill’s schedule and they lived together. 

But Richie was different. Eddie knew that. He’d spent the first few months of college trying to deny it but it was obvious. Richie was the reason he realized he was gay, when he kept having dreams of kissing him and not Myra. Once he’d broken up with her and came out, he tried to pretend that his feelings for Richie were only because he was the first person Eddie met on campus but eventually he had to admit that that wasn’t true. There was something more there, something that Eddie wanted to explore.

If only he could knock on the door. 

Turned out, he didn’t need to. A second later, the door opened and a girl practically fell out, her hair messed up and her shirt misbuttoned. 

“Sorry!” She said, running directly into Eddie. Eddie peered in and saw a shirtless Richie sitting on the bed. His cheeks burned as he realized what had happened. Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and turned around, praying that Richie hadn’t seen him. If he had, he was kind enough not to say anything. Eddie went back to his dorm, putting on loud music and trying to drown out his feelings. 

Over the next few weeks, Eddie got to know the girl, Sandy, and realized she was pretty great. She didn’t seem to care that Eddie and Richie still spent most of their time together or that Eddie tagged along on their dates. So Eddie swallowed his feelings and went along with it. It was better than not seeing the gangly boy. 

The strange thing was that Richie was still touchy with him, still flirty. It was somewhat toned down when Sandy was there but if they were alone, Richie still put an arm around him, still pulled Eddie close. Eddie knew that he should pull back, that it was going to end badly, but being around Richie was like being near the sun, bright burning and impossible to look away. 

So Eddie stayed near him, let himself enjoy Richie’s orbit. 

Until one night he found the boy crying outside Eddie’s dorm. It was nearly the end of the semester. They would all be going home in two weeks- something that Eddie was absolutely dreading. He had already made plans to meet up with Bill during the summer and he desperately wanted to ask Richie to join him but hadn’t worked up the courage yet. 

“Richie?” Eddie asked, sinking down next to his friend. “What’s wrong?” 

“Sandy. She- she- she-” 

It took a few minutes but finally Eddie got the story. Sandy had broken up with him. Richie refused to tell Eddie why but it wasn’t really his business. Eddie knew what he had to do. 

“Let’s go dancing.” Eddie said, pulling Richie up. It wasn’t what Eddie would want but he knew Richie. The guy needed distractions. Richie looked up at him, nodding numbly and letting Eddie lead the way. 

Eddie drove them to the nearby college bar where they used Richie’s fake ID to get some shitty beer and head to the dance floor. It felt inevitable somehow that they ended up close, Richie’s hand on Eddie’s hip and Eddie’s slung over Richie’s shoulder. 

“You’re a good dancer, Eds.” Richie whispered in his ear. “You move- well.”

Eddie giggled, feeling slightly drunk on beer and Richie’s touch. “You too.” 

Richie’s hands slid up and down, making Eddie’s shirt ride up. Then Richie’s fingers grazed his skin and it was electric. 

“You know, Eds,” Richie whispered again, his lips practically kissing the shell of his ear. “Sandy was convinced that we had something going on. That was why she ended it.”

The mention of Sandy reminded Eddie why they were there- and that Richie was newly single. Anything that happened now would be rebound and Eddie didn’t want that. 

He stepped back, putting a hand on Richie’s chest. “We should get you home.” 

To Richie’s credit, he nodded, letting Eddie lead him out of the club and back to the dorm. Eddie resolved to put some space between them after that, to give Richie time to decide what he really wanted. 

**Richie - Fall Semester, Sophomore year**

“How do I look?” Richie asked, spinning in his outfit in front of Stan. 

Stan didn’t even bother looking up. “Fine.”

“Stanathy! A gal likes to feel special.”  
Stan looked at him, shaking his head. “You look like a dork.” 

“Perfect.” Richie grinned at him then spread his fake black wings. “The world needs more men in tights.” 

“Yea, yea, the hero we deserve blah blah.” Stan said and Richie laughed. He knew his roommate didn’t care but he’d still gone with Richie to find the perfect costume. After many stops, Richie had found an old 1990’s era batman costume for a Halloween party his friends were throwing. It was perfect. 

“Sure you don’t want to come?” He asked, grabbing the mask. 

“Absolutely not. Mike is coming over and we’re watching scary movies.”

“Oh, sexy cuddles.” Richie wiggled his eyebrows and Stan threw a balled up piece of paper at him. Stan and Mike weren’t exactly dating yet but it wasn’t far off. Richie would have bet money that it happened this semester.

“Well some of us don’t have a big strong man to protect us from killer clowns.” 

Stan arched an eyebrow. “And what’s Eddie?”

Richie coughed, trying not to choke. “A friend. Obviously.” 

“Sure.” 

Richie decided now was the time to leave. And that maybe he needed to tell Stan fewer things when he was drunk. He knew he talked about Eddie. They were friends who occasionally (always) flirted but nothing more. And Richie was fine with that. He was.

The party was in full swing by the time Richie walked in, sweaty zombies and vampires moving on the dance floor. He went to the kitchen to grab a drink, deciding he needed that before anything else. 

“Holy sidekick Batman!” He said, grinning as he saw someone scowling at the punch bowl. “You either die a hero or live long enough to see Spaghetti as a sidekick.” 

The Robin looked up at him, familiar brown eyes meeting Richie’s. “That doesn’t even make sense.” 

Richie laughed, moving in and pulling Eddie into a hug. “It’s been too long.” They hadn’t seen each other much that semester. Eddie had joined the pre-med program and Richie was still taking all the easy classes he could before committing to a major. They constantly texted back and forth but Richie hadn’t seen him in nearly a month.

Eddie nodded, throwing his arms around Richie. “It really has.” Richie let himself hold on a minute too long. Neither seemed eager to move back. 

“Do you want a drink?” Richie asked, pointing to the bowl. 

“Absolutely not.” Eddie said, shaking his head. “That’s a fucking petri dish.”

Richie laughed, going to the fridge and grabbing them both beers. “Don’t ever change, Eds.” He said, handing one to Eddie while trying not to stare. Eddie had changed a lot since freshman year and coming out. One of the major things had been to shed his polo shirts and unfashionable fanny packs. Now he favored short shorts and oversized sweaters. Those were enough to make Richie’s heart race. But this? Eddie in green spandex and a tight red shirt? It was almost too much for him. 

“Don’t plan to.” 

Richie found himself moving closer to Eddie. He could lie and say that it was because the party was loud and he wanted to hear Eddie but really it was more than that. They were at the same party, dressed to match each other and, for the first time that year, Richie let himself admit how much he’d missed Eddie. Things had shifted after he broke up with Sandy last year, after Eddie had taken him out. He had no idea why but he hoped that tonight would change it. 

“Do you want to dance, birdman?” Richie asked, running a finger over Eddie’s forearm. 

Eddie looked up at him, eyes full of surprise. “I-” 

“Eddie!” Someone shouted behind them. Both turned and Richie saw a Christopher Nolan era Batman walking towards them. 

“Carl!” Eddie extracted himself from Richie’s grasp and walked to the other man. 

“Carl, Richie, Richie Carl.” Eddie said as Carl threw a protective arm around Eddie. Richie wondered how much he’d seen. 

“Pleasure to meet a fellow superhero.” Richie said, shaking the outstretched hand. Carl smiled at him before whispering something that made Eddie giggle. Suddenly, Richie was the third wheel and he wanted to disappear. This whole party felt like a mistake. Carl was pulling Eddie to the dance floor but Eddie turned back to look at him. 

“We should hang out soon.” Eddie said, his eyes meeting Richie’s, begging him to agree. 

“Sure Eds, whatever you say.” 

Eddie smiled before disappearing into the crowd. Richie didn’t hate himself quite enough to watch them dance. Instead, he quickly downed two shots and found a group of people smoking weed in the basement, where he knew Eddie wouldn’t follow. 

**Eddie- Fall Semester, Junior Year**

“I can’t believe you dragged me here.” Eddie muttered, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. 

“It’ll be fun!” Bill promised, winding an arm around Audra’s hips. “When’s the last time you sang karaoke?”

“Never.” Eddie mumbled as they went to their table, immediately ordering a double. He hadn’t exactly come out willingly but Bill had insisted, saying that finals were making Eddie mean. When Eddie had snapped back that he was  _ justfinethankyouverymuch, _ he realized that Bill was right and that he needed to get out of his room.

He was about halfway into his drink, laughing at a story Audra was telling, when he heard a beautiful voice start singing. 

_ “Yes I understand. That every life must end. As we sit alone, I know someday we must go.” _

Eddie’s head whipped to the stage. He knew that song. He loved that song. But he couldn’t see the stage because of all the damn giants in front of him. 

_ “Yeah I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands,the ones I love. Some folks just have one. Yeah others they got none.” _

The voice was beautiful, deep and melodic. And he was singing Eddie’s song. The song that Eddie sang in the shower, that he hummed when he ran. Eddie wasn’t exactly one for fate but he also wasn’t stupid. This had to mean something. 

Ignoring Bill and Audra’s questions, Eddie made his way to the stage, needing to see who was singing it. 

Somehow he wasn’t surprised to see Richie up there, crooning into the microphone. Richie saw him nearly instantly, their eyes locking as he sang. 

_ “Did I say that I want you? What if I did and I'm a fool you see.” _

Suddenly, Eddie couldn’t breathe. The last time he’d seen Richie was right before summer break, during move out. Their eyes had locked then too and Eddie had known that it meant something, that Richie was supposed to play some part in his life.

And that had scared the fuck out of him. 

Eddie had dropped his eyes then, pretended to look for his mom. He’d broken up with Carl before spring break, knowing that the man was great but wasn’t right for him and he’d been single since. Waiting for- something. 

That had been months ago. Since then, Eddie had finally shed his mother’s overbearing influence, telling her in August that he wasn’t moving back home. Ever. She’d cried and wailed but he’d held firm. He and Bill had rented a small house with another friend, Ben, and for the first time, Eddie was really happy. He was learning to let himself have what he wanted, to not apologize for it.

And right now, he wanted Richie. Really, he’d wanted Richie since the first time he’d seen him but he couldn’t admit it then. 

Richie finished the song and jumped down, landing in front of Eddie.

“Long time no see.” Richie said, grinning at him. His hair was longer, pulled back into a ponytail and Eddie longed to run his fingers through it. 

“Too fucking long.” Eddie said, stepping in and grabbing Richie’s shirt collar. The other man let out a surprised yelp and tried to say something but Eddie shook his head. “Don’t. Fuck Richie, you are always talking. It’s my turn. I should have said this, months, years ago, but Richie, I want you. I’ve wanted you since that first day of freshman year and-” 

There was so much more to say but Eddie didn’t need words. He needed to act. He pressed his lips to Richie’s, trying to sink into the kiss. To his relief, Richie kissed him back, tilting his head to better claim Eddie’s lips. It was perfect.

Until Eddie heard someone call out. 

“What the fuck?” Eddie broke the kiss, seeing someone stalking towards them. A man about his height, wearing a soft sweater and a pissed expression.

“Richie, what the fuck?” The man asked, glaring at Eddie as he grabbed Richie’s hand, threading their fingers together. 

“Eric, I-” Richie looked bewildered and Eddie understood. Richie wasn’t single. Of course, he wasn’t. Eddie wanted to disappear. 

“I did it.” He stuttered. “The song- it gets to me. It wasn’t Richie. Don’t hate him.” He felt his face flame bright red and then turned on his heel and booked it out of the dingy bar. He was an utter idiot. Richie was never going to talk to him again and Eddie didn’t blame him. 

**Richie- Fall Semester, Senior Year**

Richie looked around the classroom, trying to decide where to sit. There were no spots open in the back and he silently cursed the small room. There was only one seat left that didn’t involve him crawling over a dozen people so he fell into it, pulling his laptop out of his bag and waiting for it to fire up.

It was only a second later that he realized who he was next to. Eddie fucking Kaspbrak. Who else? The two of them hadn’t talked since the karaoke incident. Not that Richie hadn’t thought about it. Hell, he fell asleep thinking about it. Lots of times. But they hadn’t talked. Richie hadn’t known what to say and Eddie didn’t seem eager to relieve the moment. 

Now that several months had passed Richie could admit some truths. First was that he definitely should have broken up with Eric earlier than he had. He felt shitty about that but the two had dated for months after that kiss. It was good, easy, and that had been what Richie had wanted.

Second was that he was seated next to the person he should have been kissing for all those months.

“Hey Eds.” Richie said quietly, worried he’d startle the guy into running away. 

Eddie turned to look at him, nearly taking Richie’s breath away. He’d come a far way from the polo shirt and velcro shoes. Eddie was hot, especially with the lip gloss that shimmered on his plump lips. Richie had wanted to kiss him for years and he still couldn’t believe that Eddie had done it first. 

“Richie!” Eddie’s face lit up with a bright smile and everything Richie had felt over the past four years flooded back. He wondered if he could convince Eddie to leave now, maybe drag him into a broom closet before heading back to his apartment. 

“What the hell are you doing in intro to philosophy?” Richie asked. He knew what kind of classes Eddie normally took, ones with titles that made Richie want to take a nap. This class was far outside his usual stomping grounds. 

Eddie shrugged. “I needed another humanities class. You?”

“I’m- I’m the TA.” Richie said. Last year, he’d finally been forced to pick a major. He’d decided on philosophy with a minor in theatre. His parents may not have been thrilled by it but they kept it to themselves and showed up for all of Richie’s shows. Even the one where he was nude on stage for most of it. 

“Good for you.” Eddie smiled at him then bit his bottom lip, regret written all over his face. “About that night at the bar-” 

Richie shook his head. “Don’t. I- I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it too. It was just-”

“Bad timing.” They both said, then nodded. 

“And now?” Eddie asked quietly. Somewhere in his mind, Richie registered that the professor had entered the room and was talking but he didn’t care. 

“Now-” 

“And Richie Tozier will be my TA. Richie, stand up.” The professor called and Richie tripped over himself trying to oblige. He gave everyone an embarrassed wave before sitting back down.

“I can’t.” Richie said, glancing back at the professor. “We aren’t allowed to date students.” As much as Richie believed that rules were meant to be broken, he needed this to graduate, and he didn’t want to disappoint his favorite professor. 

Eddie nodded, looking upset but understanding. “At least someone can help me with this damn class. I don’t understand any of it. Why is everyone in a cave? Can’t they just go inside?” 

Richie laughed. “I’d be happy to help you, Eds.” 

That semester the two of them spent a lot of time together. There were many late nights that started with them pretending to talk about class but quickly turned into talking about life, their dreams and everything in between. Richie learned about how awful Eddie’s mom was- none of it surprised him, he still remembered the one encounter they’d had- and about Eddie’s dream of being a doctor. Richie shared how he wanted to break into comedy and how the degree was mostly to make his parents happy. He invited Eddie to see some of his stand up and Eddie said he’d come. The first time he came, he’d shown up with flowers and it had taken everything Richie had not to kiss him senseless. 

If Richie had thought he’d liked Eddie before, it was nothing like now. Seeing Eddie spread out on his bed, his ass in the air while he chewed on a pen, it took all of Richie’s self control not to manhandle Eddie. And from the looks Eddie gave him, he had the same thought. 

“You know, it’s nearly finals.” Richie said one night, licking his lips. 

Eddie looked up, nodding. “Yea Richie, I’m super fucking aware. I’m going to fail my bio-chem test.” 

“No I mean- then the semester is over.” 

Eddie nodded, a silent  _ ‘duh’  _ that made Richie want to groan. 

“I won’t be your TA anymore.” He finally said.

Eddie’s eyes grew wide as he finally understood. “Oh shit, Richie I- I’m seeing someone. He’s in the pre-law program. We met at a mixer. He’s- really nice.”

Richie tried not to visibly deflate. It wasn’t like they’d decided to wait for each other. Richie had just assumed. They spent most of their time together, when the hell was Eddie going on dates? 

“Richie, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

Richie shook his head. “No. It’s okay. Really. I’m just happy you’re happy.” 

Eddie gave him a small smile and nodded. “Thanks ‘Chee.” 

**Eddie- Spring Semester Senior Year**

This was really it. Eddie was graduating in two weeks. Four years of hard work, of sleepless nights and last minute papers, all of it had led to this. He couldn’t believe it. He still had a lot of school left, and he knew that med school would be even more exhausting but he was trying to live in the moment and be proud of himself for what he’d done. 

Soon, he’d be moving across the country. He’d be alone again but it would be worth it. He’d gotten into an amazing pediatric program and he couldn’t wait to start. Plus, all his friends promised to come visit. It was going to be great. 

He only had one regret. That he had never gone on a date with Richie, never done anything more than that one kiss. They’d gotten close last semester but Eddie had been with Sam, something he had conveniently forgotten to bring up for months. When Richie had finally asked him about it, Eddie had been forced to come clean. The look of disappointment on Richie’s face had nearly made him break up with Sam that night. 

And once he had, three weeks later, he’d learned that Richie had some new arm candy. It was okay. He didn’t expect Richie to wait for him but - fuck, he was so sick of missing his chance. 

Now they were both graduating. He had no idea what Richie’s plans were for after college but he doubted they involved moving to Chicago. He would probably never see the lanky man again. It was enough to make him scream.

Rather than that though, Eddie did the somewhat more mature thing and decided to find someone else to sleep with. He pulled up Grindr on his phone, flipping through the available guys and finding no one interesting. Then Richie’s face filled his screen. Richie fucking Tozier, shirtless and grinning, his stupid Simpsons boxers hanging low on his hips. The picture alone made Eddie half hard. He didn’t hesitate to swipe right, holding his breath as he did. He knew better than to get his hopes up. Richie might not be on now. Or maybe he was sick of all their misses and didn’t want to bother. Or- 

Eddie’s phone pinged with a message. 

‘As I live and fuck, Eddie Spaghetti on my gay hook up app?’ 

Eddie grinned at his phone as he typed back a reply. ‘And the infamous Trashmouth Tozier on mine?’

‘Guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do’

Eddie’s fingers trembled slightly as he typed back the only reply permissible. 

‘Me?’

He didn’t breathe as he watched the dots appear on his phone. 

The reply was one word. 

‘Address?’

Eddie typed it as fast as he could. Then, he forced himself to put his phone down and look around his room. He had his own apartment now and kept it fairly clean but it didn’t mean he couldn’t tidy up- or at least put away some of his more embarrassing items. He did it was quickly as he could, trying not to pysch himself out that this was finally fucking happening. 

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous.” He chanted as he changed, putting on a soft oversized sweater and his shortest shorts. There was no reason to pretend this was anything other than an ‘about time’ fuck. It didn’t mean they were dating or anything else. Still, Eddie could feel the beginnings of a panic attack when the doorbell rang. 

Eddie pulled it open, wondering how many laws Richie had broken to get there so quickly. On the other side was Richie, holding a half empty bottle of wine. 

“It was all I had and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to stop at a liquor store.” Richie explained, stepping across the threshold and into his apartment. “I was worried you’d get a boyfriend if I took too long.”

“And you? You’re single?” Eddie asked, barely believing that this was happening. It wasn’t just that Richie was in his apartment, it was that for the first time both were clear about what they wanted, what was going to happen. 

He nodded and Eddie launched himself into Richie’s long arms, pulling Richie down into a kiss. He felt the other man groping around, finally putting the wine bottle on his counter then grabbing Eddie’s hips and dragging him closer, until there was no space between them. The kiss was hot and desperate, everything that Eddie had hoped it would be. Four years of rain checks were finally being cashed in. They crashed into the kitchen, Eddie pushing Richie against his fridge and grinding on him, groaning into Richie’s mouth as they deepened the kiss. 

Then Richie flipped them, picking Eddie up and putting him on the counter. Eddie didn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around Richie’s hips, making their growing erections grind together. Eddie couldn’t believe he was this hard already, just from making out. But Richie had always had that effect on him, making Eddie want to skip several steps to get right to the good stuff. 

“Is this really happening?” Richie asked, abandoning Eddie’s lips to attack his neck. Eddie knew there would be bruises and hickeys there tomorrow and he was surprised how happy that made him. He wanted to be marked by Richie, for people to know what they’d done. 

“Not if you keep talking.” Eddie muttered, his head falling against the cabinets as Richie pulled his shirt down, scraping his teeth over Eddie’s collarbone. 

“Bad news, baby. Sex only makes me talk more.” Richie muttered, his hot breath hitting Edide’s skin. 

“Fine. Fuck. At least let's go to the bedroom. I eat in here.” 

“I can eat-” 

“Don’t.” Eddie said, clamping a hand to Richie’s mouth. He knew hearing that would only bring him closer to the edge and he didn’t want to cum before it started. Richie licked his hands, grinning as Eddie yelped. 

“Gotta love this tongue.” Richie said, wiggling it at Eddie. 

“Goddamnit, why do I like you?” Eddie asked, kissing him again. 

“For this probably.” Richie’s hands slid under Eddie’s ass and picked him up, only swaying a little. 

“For your weak arms?” Eddie teased, wrapping his legs around Richie’s narrow hips. “Down the hall, first door on the left.” He added, leaning in to suck on Richie’s earlobe. 

“Not helping me focus, Eds.” Richie mumbled, stumbling only a little as they finally made into the bedroom. Richie placed Eddie on the bed, staring down at him like he couldn’t believe this was happening. Eddie understood the feeling. 

He sat up, reaching for Richie’s shirt and pulling it off. Richie did the same for Eddie, his fingers trailing down Eddie’s stomach. 

“You’re sure you’re single?” Richie asked, pausing at his shorts. 

Eddie wanted to laugh at Richie’s hesitation but it was a feeling he understood too well. “I’m sure.” He promised, taking Richie’s fingers and kissing the tips. “Are you? No hidden partners that are going to pop out?”

“Only one thing is gonna pop out tonight, Eds.” Richie said, thrusting his hips towards Eddie. 

Eddie wasn’t going to give him the chance to make more jokes. His hands fell to Richie’s shorts, undoing the belt and sliding them down. He palmed Richie’s erection, enjoying the quiet ‘fuck’ that escaped from Richie’s lips. 

“Soon.” Eddie promised as he pulled Richie’s boxers down, taking the other man in his mouth. Richie moaned into it, his hand weaving in Eddie’s hair.

“I’ve thought about this so fucking much.” Richie muttered. Eddie could feel Richie’s eyes on him but he focused on swallowing Richie down, swirling his tongue over the other man. 

“Freshman year when you were with fucking Myra, last semester when you were on my bed all those late nights. The things I wanted to do to you, with you. Fuck. I’ve wanted you for so fucking long.” Eddie heard all the things Richie wasn’t saying- that this didn’t have to be just sex, that there was more here than that. He ignored them for now, pulling off Richie with a wet pop. 

“Me too.” Eddie admitted, finally looking up at Richie. He looked amazing, his chest was pale and Eddie wanted to run his hands over it, watch red blossom over it. “That night when we danced at the bar. Or when you sang karaoke. Fuck, why the fuck was that so attractive? No one should look good singing karaoke.” He shook his head then bent back down, licking the slit of Richie’s cock. It was salty with pre-cum and Eddie moaned around it, his hands cupping Richie’s balls. 

“Nope. Fuck. It’s gonna be over before it starts if you do that.” Richie said, gently pushing him onto the bed. “And I want to fuck you.” 

Eddie couldn’t stop himself from shuddering at that. He nodded, pointing to the side table. “Lube and condoms.” He watched as Richie reached over him then lifted his hips so Richie could pull off his shorts and briefs. 

“Fuck, you’re even better than I imagined.” Richie said, bending down and nipping at Eddie’s thighs. “This is how I’m going to die. Suffocating here.”

“Shut up.” Eddie muttered, feeling himself grow red. Richie didn’t though, he kept talking as he pressed a lubed finger into Eddie, making him moan as Richie complimented everything about him. Normally, Eddie would have hated it but with Richie, the praise was so earnest that he couldn’t get upset over it.

It wasn’t long before he was a mess. Richie’s fingers were long and perfect, going deeper into Eddie than his own possibly could. 

“I need you to fuck me. Now.” Eddie said once Richie was three fingers deep. He was practically fucking himself back on them, both embarassed and turned on by the sounds the lube made. 

“Yes, sir.” Eddie didn’t let himself think about how much he liked that as he watched Richie pull his fingers out then roll the condom on, lining himself up with Eddie. 

“This is really happening.” Richie said, sounding astonished. 

Eddie reached up, pulling Richie into a kiss. “Yes. It is.” 

They kept kissing as he pushed in, both of them moaning as they were finally joined. Eddie felt himself go limp as Richie bottomed out, already feeling totally fucked out. 

“Move. Move, for fuck’s sake.” Eddie said, wrapping his legs around Richie and trying to get the other man even deeper in him. 

Richie started to fuck him, thrusting into Eddie and making him moan loudly each time. Normally, Eddie wasn’t a talker during sex but with Richie, he couldn’t shut up. 

“God there, Richie, right there. Fuck me. Fuck me.”

“I’m trying, Eds. Fuck, I love listening to you,” Richie replied, peppering him with kisses. His hands danced over Eddie, ending up on his collarbone and holding him there. Eddie was sure he would have bruises tomorrow but he didn’t care. Richie felt amazing and Eddie wanted to ride this wave as long as he could. Then, on a particularly forceful thrust, Eddie felt his orgasm coming. Somehow, Richie knew, too. He snaked his hand down, stroking Eddie in time with his thrusts. 

When Eddie came, he saw stars, going tense then slack. When he came to, Richie was pulling out, his erection still hard and red. The sight of it practically made Eddie drool. 

“Fuck my face.” He said as Richie pulled off the condom. “I want to taste you.”

“You’re so fucking perfect.” Richie said as he crawled on top of Eddie’s shoulders, lowering himself down until he was in Eddie’s mouth. Eddie relaxed his throat, grabbing Richie’s ass as he started to thrust again. It didn’t take long for Richie to cum, swearing as he spilled down Eddie’s throat. 

Then Richie collapsed on the bed as Eddie grabbed the wet wipes, cleaning himself up. Richie tried to kiss him but Eddie shook his head, frowning. “I just had you in my mouth.”

“Why the fuck do you think I want to kiss you?” Richie said, not dissuaded in the least. The grin on Richie’s face was too much, Eddie couldn’t resist it. He let the other man grab his face, pulling him down for a messy kiss then peppering his face with sweet ones.

“Stop, jesus.” Eddie said, laughing as he swatted Richie. “You’re like a dog.”

“Oh you don’t know the half of it.” Richie said, pretending to hump his leg. Eddie pushed him away, still laughing. Then their eyes met and worry coiled in him. This had been good, too good to only let it happen once. Eddie wondered if he could convince Richie to stay here for the next two weeks, to spend all their time together until graduation. It was an insane thought but Eddie couldn’t help it, they had so much time to make up for. 

“What now?” He asked quietly. “We graduate soon.”

“I don’t know.” Richie admitted. “I’m moving to Chicago the week after graduation.”

Eddie jolted up, staring at Richie. “Chicago?”

“Yea, it's got a baller comedy scene. But it’s nowhere near here.”

Eddie crawled on Richie’s hips, grinning down at him. “I’m moving to Chicago for med school.”

Richie’s eyes widened and he grabbed Eddie, wrapping him in a huge hug. “Hell yea Chicago!” He said, both of them laughing and giddy. 

After a minute, he released Eddie, staring at him. “Eds, I’d like to formally ask you out. We’ll get pizza or whatever the fuck else they eat there. Hot dogs with weird shit on them. Whatever you want.” 

Eddie was nodding before Richie finished his sentence. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” 


End file.
